Master of the House
by Ember Nickel
Summary: American Idiot Quote challenge: Norry the house-elf can't help overhearing things. Some days, he hears things that just aren't normal.


Norry's Mistress talked a lot. Sometimes to Norry's Master or the Young Master. Sometimes to the Masters' Guests. Sometimes to the wives of the Guests, who were also Guests, but whom Norry cooked for and served while the Guests met in other rooms, preferring their own meager food to his elf-made nourishment.

So it wasn't so much of a surprise to hear her talking to God. Humans, Norry knew, liked to do their talking to God together with other humans, usually at least once a week in a big building where they could talk to God and also talk to other humans. They didn't tend to like having elves and centaurs and other sorts around. So sometimes elves did their talking to God early on Sundays when the humans were out doing the same thing. Norry's friend Thangy did. But usually Norry had to be working then to have dinner ready and the house clean for guests to come over afterwards, so he and a few other friends did their talking to God in the afternoons when the humans were busy.

However, on that particular weekday it was early in the evening. Norry had made a nice stew and Master had only screamed at him twice, so it had seemed like a nice night so far. But the Mistress wasn't very hungry.

"Should Norry cook more?" he said.

"Er...no, no. It's fine," she muttered.

"Mm. Solid fare," grunted Master. "Go on and start cleaning up."

So he did, and thought little more of Mistress and her nervousness until late at night. But as he was walking up the stairs, he saw Mistress bent in her room, talking softly. At first he thought it was to Master but he looked in and saw she was on her knees. Then he thought it was to Master Voldemort but he was out of the house. Master Voldemort had a way of _being_ in houses that any elf could pick up on.

"Watch over Draco," she was saying. "Keep him safe."

Even that wasn't enough to give it away. Mistress asked _lots_ of people to keep the young Master safe.

"Bring us safety. Bring us peace. Amen."

There was a brief silence, and then Mistress stood up and went on, much more snippily. "Can I get another Amen, perhaps? Wouldn't hurt."

"I suspect," came the Master, "that there are somewhat more practical things you could be doing with your time."

"Oh, yes. Such as dusting just in case the Dark Lord shows up?"

"We have an elf for that."

"Does Master want Norry to be dusting?" Norry called. "Norry is happy to clean but it is dark."

"No," yelled the Master, "go off to bed."

"_What_, then?" said Mistress. "I'd just as soon trust in a Lord who doesn't keep borrowing your wands!"

Master paced across the room. "We are going to be all right. However, to ensure that we, ah, become _all right_ as soon as possible, I would suggest not mentioning your insecurity in public."

"How is this _public_?"

Master shrugged. "The Dark Lord prefers secure wards."

"And he'd be much more concerned about us arguing than about me praying, I'm quite sure. Here, hullo, if you're listening to this, do please accept my apologies if I'm out of line."

"Narcissa," said Master patiently, "you need rest."

"Yes, I suppose."

"You! Elf!" yelled Master. "A warm blanket, if you please—"

"Oh, _really_, Lucius, I know how to warm a _blanket._" Mistress muttered a charm under her breath. "Good night."

"All right, then, off with you," Master called. "Be ready for coffee tomorrow, and Narcissa will take an Elixir to Induce Euphoria."

"Ignore that; I will have coffee too," Mistress shouted.

"If you must," said Mister.

Norry climbed down to the kitchen ("no Apparating late at night," Master had said a few weeks before, "Narcissa jumps at every crack now") and made sure the coffee was still there. It was.

So he climbed back down to his sleep-hole and began to do some talking of his own to God. _Keep the Young Master safe, and the Master and Mistress. _Master would always be yelling, there was nothing to fear from him. But when Mistress looked scared..._And Thangy and Huldu and Arny and their coming elfling, please._..


End file.
